Johnstons of Elgin honoured with King’s Award for Enterprise
Heritage British brand Johnstons of Elgin, a family-owned business that is now the UK’s largest producer of luxury cashmere and fine woollens, has been honoured with the King’s Award for Enterprise.
The award, previously known as the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, was renamed last year to reflect His Majesty The King’s desire to continue his late mother’s legacy by recognising outstanding UK businesses.
The award programme, now in its 58th year, is the most prestigious business award in the country, and Johnstons of Elgin is one of 252 organisations nationally to receive an award and is recognised for its excellence in International Trade.
Award-winning businesses can use the esteemed King's Awards Emblem for the next five years.
Johnstons of Elgin Chief Executive, Chris Gaffney, said: "I am delighted to see the hard work of our teams recognised with this prestigious award. Our company has been outward looking and driven to find new markets since its earliest days, ever since our founder Alexander Johnston loaded his cart to transport our woollen fabric to the local port and on to Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1813.
"We are proud that Johnstons of Elgin is known in countries throughout the globe as a maker of the highest quality. It is a particular honour for us to hold two Enterprise awards simultaneously, adding the King’s Award for International Trade to the Award for Sustainable Development that we received in 2021 from the late Queen Elizabeth II."
Johnstons of Elgin was founded in 1797 and, as Gaffney noted, began shipping internationally in 1813. The company transforms raw cashmere and Merino wool fibres into yarn and then finished products in its Scottish mills, employing 1,200 people across both its manufacturing sites.
